


The Life of Hooch

by PokeNeo



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime)
Genre: F/M, Pokemon, Team Rocket (Pokemon)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-01
Updated: 2020-03-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:54:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22977238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PokeNeo/pseuds/PokeNeo
Summary: So one of my head cannons is that Butch was born on February 29th. It made sense that someone with such a forgettable name would also have a forgettable birthday 😂 (no offence to anyone with that birthday - it just seemed like a very Butch date :P) given Team Rocket's approximate ages in the late 90's when Pokemon started my theory is he was born in 1980 so this is just a fic about him coming to terms with turning 40 and telling Cassidy his life story.It's a bit of a different style to how I usually write - lots of moving between 1st and 3rd person.Also!!! It has it's own playlist with songs chosen by me that reminded me of Butch ^_^ these songs are obviously not owned by me and remain the work of the artists. You will see in each bit the song lyrics and I invite you to listen to the song as you read ^_^©️ 'Crazy little thing called love' - Queen©️ 'We built this city' - Starship©️ 'Bad to the bone' - George Therogood & The Destroyers©️ 'Basket Case' - Greenday©️ 'Kryptonite' - 3 Doors Down©️ 'Hungry like the wolf' - Duran Duran©️ 'How we roll!' - Loick Essien & Tanya Lacey
Relationships: Kosaburou | Butch & Yamato | Cassidy, Kosaburou | Butch/Yamato | Cassidy
Kudos: 5





	The Life of Hooch

"So what _do_ you want to do?!" Cassidy huffed at her partner as the 2 of them walked the corridors of HQ, heading nowhere in particular. Butch stopped dead in his tracks, span round and glared at the blonde, his patience clearly about to be pushed to the limit.

"As I've said about 50 times already, nothing Cass! Infact I'd be quite happy to forget about the day altogether. Just another normal Saturday...maybe go to the mall in Celedon? Even Goldenrod? I don't care...I just really REALLY don't want to celebrate my birthday".  
"But it's your 40th!" Cassidy protested. "You can't NOT do anything!"  
"Yeah thanks for the reminder Cass" Butch grumbled. "Look, everyone always forgets it anyway cos of the weird date! In fact the only other person who has mentioned it is Tyson".

"Nah, Wendy asked me what you were doing too!" Cassidy corrected him. Butch scoffed impatiently.  
"Well that doesn't count does it Cass! Wendy works in HR, so she knows everyone's birthdays, even those that only come round once every 4 years! Can you just drop it now...please?"

He continued walking, albeit a little slower to give her the opportunity to follow him. Cassidy eyerolled towards the ceiling before pursuing Butch once more. She was determined to get to the bottom of it!  
"Biff...." she began innocently but Butch raised his hand.  
"Damn it Cass! Fine! Look... I just don't think my 40 years on earth are worth celebrating. Ok? Happy now?"

"Why not?" Cassidy asked curiously. "You not happy with your lot in life? You not happy with me?!"  
"Of course I am!" Butch exclaimed. "But it's not always been that way though Cass. I've uh...been through a lot you know!"  
"Well I don't know actually because you never tell me anything" Cassidy snapped. "Most partners in a relationship in this place know each other inside and out and back to front but you're a closed book Butch Reynolds. You know everything about me but I don't know the first thing about you - the man I love!"

"Of course you know me!" Butch said, getting a little angry himself now. "I mean obviously not well enough to respect my wishes but still!"  
He made eye contact with his partner who simply scowled and folded her arms. Truth be told he couldn't fathom out why she cared so much. Being born on a leap year was almost as forgettable as his name he had found over the years. Almost.

"So come on then Cass...what do you want from me?" He asked her wearily. Cassidy thought for a moment and smiled up at him. A genuine smile, not one of those manipulative smirks he and everyone else was used to.  
"Tell me your story Butch. Right from the beginning. I want to know. I want to understand". 

Butch gazed into her violet eyes for a few moments, contemplating what she had just said. It was true, he did know everything about her. She had been born into a wealthy family thanks to her father being a successful businessman. They had lived a comfortable existence and Cassody had wanted for nothing growing up. She had even been enrolled into Pokemon Tech. Unfortunately her Father's business ran into financial difficulty and eventually went into administration. Cassidy was pulled out of her expensive school and, disgusted at having to live a more simplistic life had left home to join Team Rocket much to the further heartbreak of her family. The rest was history really. Butch felt into his back pocket and eventualky pulled out his car keys.

"Shall we go for a little drive then Cassie?" He muttered.  
________________________________________

_"This thing called love, I just can't handle it_  
_This thing called love, I must get round to it_  
_I ain't ready_  
_Crazy little thing called love"_

"Queen? Seriously?" Cassidy said with a laugh as they finally pulled up on a local beauty spot overlooking Vermillion Harbour. Butch put the handbreak on and switched off the engine.  
"Yes Queen Cass!! Unlike you I have great taste in music! Besides... this song was actually number 1 the day I was born" Butch said.  
Cassidy undone her seatbelt and twisted herself so she was facing her partner. He was now slouched moodily in his seat, albeit still a little constrained by his leather jacket.  
"What?" He asked her.  
"The floor is yours Biffer! You were going to tell me your story" Cassidy reminded him. "Or have you forgotten already?!"

Butch frowned. "I don't recall actually agreeing to you know!"  
"Oh just tell me!" Cassidy sighed impatiently as she twirled her hair through his fingers. "It's probably not even that interesting is it?"  
Butch stared straight ahead of himself and could only laugh softly as he shook his head. Cassidy really could be the living end sometimes!  
________________________________________

_I'm Butch Reynolds. I was born on leap year - February 29th 1980, the eldest child of Gerald and Nancy. We lived in Vermillion City, Kanto for the first 7 years of my life. Mum was a housewife while Dad was a fisherman. I used to spend many a weekend with him at work out on his boat - before the days of health and safety! He taught me how to sail, swim, fish and even bought me my first rod. Infact I went through a period of not wanting to go to school because I was adamant I was just going to go and work with my Dad when I grew up._

_Of course he gently put his foot down. He reminded me that I was a "little knock out" with brains and I could do so much more with my life. I knew deep down he was right even though I'd go weeks at a time without seeing him while he was at sea. So I stuck with school and we muddled along just fine. We weren't a wealthy family by any means, but we were happy._

_That fateful day started just like any other. Dad was preparing to head out to sea to catch a school of hefty Seaking which had been spotted in the area. But local weather reports indicated a storm was on it's way._  
_"Maybe you shouldn't go dear" I remembered my Mum saying. "We have plenty to live on this month. I don't want you taking any risks!"_  
_"Oh I'll be fine! You don't have to worry about me!" He laughed. He kissed her on the cheek, kissed my siblings then picked me up. I cheekily swiped off his cap and placed it on my head beaming at him._  
_"Heh! Butch you keep hold of that til I get home yeah?" He said._  
_"You got it Dad!" I cried._  
________________________________________

"But he never did come home did he?" Cassidy asked gently.  
Butch was staring out to sea, he knew if he made eye contact with his partner he would break down. The only comfort was getting the worst bit of his story out the way first.  
"No he didn't..." he muttered. "For a long time afterwards I would head down to the shoreline with his hat, just...waiting".  
________________________________________

_We lost the house pretty much straight away. Being self employed, insurances for Dad were harder to come by back then and Mum was at home with us kids. We were moved to an inner city block in Celedon, specifically built for extremely low income families and vulnerable people apparantly. Right from the word go it was hell. Neighbours blasting music all night every night, people shooting up in stairwells and dealers kicking down our door in cases of mistaken identity. Not to mention the graffiti and fights._

_Despite being in the dark pits of grief, Mum forced herself out to get a job. She ended up having to get 2 to make ends meet. It meant as the eldest I was left with my siblings a lot. I'd come home from school and have to start tea and listen to my sister read. If Mum finished work late I'd have to put them both to bed and then I'd be too tired to start my own homework._

_As time went on I guess I was starting to become resentful, I didn't really get a chance to process my own grief..._  
__________________________________________

"So did you fall behind in school?" Cassidy asked. Butch shook his head.  
"Nope. No idea how I did it! But I was never late with a single deadline. I enjoyed reading and numbers came easily to me too. I remember the teacher telling my Mum I was doing so well in spite of everything..."  
"So what changed?" Cassidy asked.

"The resentment and grief was still there" Butch continued.   
"And by the time I was 10 it was already bubbling out of control..."  
________________________________________

"We got too many runaways, eating up the night"  
"They call us irresponsible, write us off the page"  
"We built this city, we built this city on rock and roll"

_Fed up with the depressing monotomy my life had already become at a young age and desperate to shake off this idea that I was 'reliable' I decided to take a different approach. Instead of shunning the local kids I befriended them. The older teens were only too happy to have someone younger and impressionable to do stuff for them. I was actually quite a fast runner so shop lifting came easy._  
________________________________________

"So did your Mum find out at this point?" asked Cassidy.  
"I don't think so" admitted Butch. At that point she was still focused on keeping it all together. My siblings were still quite little too so they needed extra attention".  
"So you have 2 sisters?" Cassidy said.  
"No, one of each" Butch corrected her. "Billy is 5 years younger than me and then I've got Bethany who is a year younger than him".  
"They must have been so little when you lost your Dad" Cassidy realised sadly.  
"Yeah Billy was 2 and Bethany was just a baby" Butch said. "Christ they'd both be in their 30's now...scary..."

"Do they look like you?" Cassidy smiled.  
"Billy does. Poor sod! He's virtually the same except he wears glasses" laughed Butch. "We take after Dad, but Bethany is blonde like Mum. She was such a sassy little thing, always knew how to get her own way but she was unbelievably cute at the same time. Bit like you!"  
"Oh har har!" Cassidy muttered. "You were close to them?"  
"Billy not so much, even though we had loads in common, he's more introverted than I am!" Butch said. "Bethany adored me though. She used to make me sit for hours while she dressed me up like a princess..."  
Cassidy laughed. "That's funny!" She said. "You in touch with them now?"  
"No not at the moment" Butch muttered. 

Cassidy had the good sense to know to leave it there for now...  
________________________________________

_So my Mum was still oblivious to my doings at that point until this one day... my friends decided we needed money for the arcades with the intention of eventually breaking into the machines and swiping everything. This one guy and I were sent to find some. He ended up mugging an elderly lady!! I was shocked as that wasn't I had in mind but I still ran with him._

_Unfortunately for me we were quite similar in physical features so the police somehow came to the conclusion it was me who did the mugging. Of course my 'friend' just let me take the rap for it. The lady got her handbag bag so she didn't want to press charges. I think she was one of them who thought "they're nippers, they'll come round". Even though she'd been bloody mugged..._

_My Mum was furious, devastated. Although she believed me when I swore it wasn't me who mugged the lady, she couldn't believe I had got myself mixed up with those kids. Said she had enough on her plate without me going off the rails. I did feel a bit guilty but not guilty enough to stop it._

_Just when it couldn't get worse, we received a letter from the Pokemon league. It basically said that after what happened I was hereby banned from obtaining a starter Pokemon and going for the gym challenge._  
________________________________________

"Well that seems harsh!" Snorted Cassidy. "Didn't you tell them it wasn't you who mugged that lady?"  
"Several times Cass..." Butch sighed. "No-one was interested and their decision was final. Mum was still furious at me for causing trouble in the neighbourhood and sent me back to school..."  
________________________________________

"From the day I was born, the nurses all gathered round,  
And they gazed in wide wonder at the joy at the Joy they'd found,  
The head nurse spoke up, said leave this one alone,  
She could tell right away, that I was bad to the bone! Bad to the bone!"

_So I entered my teens and by this point, well I had just given up. I felt I served no purpose and things were never going to get better. I continued hanging out with those kids and as we got older I guess you could say we upped our game. Stealing cars, criminal damage etc. I stopped trying at school, preferring to cause trouble instead. I was suspended regularly, intact I think at one point I spent more time out of school than actually in it._

_My Mum was getting seriously fed up by that point. Pretty much every day she was getting a phone-call from the school saying that I'd done X, Y and Z. She was dragged in for meetings where they'd say they were struggling to cope with my behaviour, as if she had the answers! Her despair and worry at not being able to get through to me eventually turned to anger on her part._  
________________________________________

"I guess she felt she'd lost her husband and was now losing her son too" Cassidy said quietly. Butch looked at her in surprise.  
"Heh that's actually what she said Cass! That and how I was not the boy she'd raised. She didn't know me anymore!"  
Cassidy nodded. "That must have hurt".  
"Yeah... but I suppose I deserved it eh?" Butch replied.  
"So did it have an impact on your relationship with Billy and Bethany?" Cassidy asked.  
"Billy just stayed out my way and kept his head down at school. I guess he figured he shouldn't say or do anything to cause further stress to Mum" Butch explained. "Bethany was just sad that I hardly played with her anymore..."

"She sounds lush!" Cassidy smiled.  
Butch could feel a lump forming in his throat and he was desperate to distract himself.  
"Yeah she was Cass. Infact when Mum and I used to row she'd...she'd uh stick up for me, told Mum to stop being mean to me!"  
"Oh what a treasure!" Said Cassidy. "You must miss her so much?"  
Butch nodded. "God so much. I'd give anything to see her again, tell her I'm sorry and that I love her. I'd like to think that if I ever had a daughter she'd be just like Beth. I would spoil her rotten!"

"Is that a hint?!" Laughed Cassidy.  
"No!! Well... I'm up for it if you are?" Butch replied testingly. "I mean you are pushing 37 yourself..."  
"Thanks..." Cassidy scowled. Butch reached across and gripped her hand with his own.  
"Maybe we can discuss it properly later?" He suggested.  
"Yeah...maybe..." Cassidy said slowly. This conversation had certainly escalated quickly.  
________________________________________

"Do you have the time to listen to me whine?  
About nothing and everything all at once  
I am one of those melodramatic fools  
Neurotic to the bone no doubt about it"

_So by the time I was 15 Mum had had enough and hauled me off to therapy under the advice of the school, her friends, the general practitioner and every other busybody who seemed to be an expert. She was no longer coping and was adamant I needed help._

_"So Butch? It is Butch isn't it? How are you feeling right now?"_  
_"Uhh ok I guess?"_  
_"Do you feel you've had periods of anger recently?"_  
_"Uhh maybe?"_  
_"Like you've lost your way?"_  
_"Mm"_  
_"You know there are a couple of studies, still in very early stages looking at the effects childhood trauma can have on the brain's development"_  
_"What's that got to do with anything?"_  
_"Your mother said you lost your Father at sea 8 years ago. That must have been traumatic..."_  
_"Uh yeah..."_  
_"Do you think your loss and subsequent grief might be shaping your behaviour now?"_  
_"I dunno! Probably? I mean I've felt like I haven't belonged anywhere since he died. I was probably his secret favourite and now he's gone..."_  
_"Ok! So now we're getting somewhere! You need somewhere to belong!"_  
_"Huh?"_

_So it turned out this 'therapist' was actually a scout for Team Rocket. He explained his real job was to pose as a therapist to seek out_ _young people who for whatever reason had become alienated to offer them a life of crime with reward and opportunity._  
________________________________________

"Reward and opportunity!" Snorted Cass. "Well that's an inaccurate sales pitch if ever I heard one!"  
"Right?!" Laughed Butch. He cracked open a bottle of Coke, grateful for the break from talking.  
"So did you decide to join?" Cassidy winked. Butch choked on his drink.  
"No Cass! I went riding off into the sunset to make my fortune elsewhere and now I'm a big shot and we don't know each other!"  
"Oh well that's a happy ending bye then!" Said Cassidy as she pretended to get out of the car. The doors were locked from the inside.  
"Heh. Fail!" Laughed Butch.  
"Do you always lock them from the inside?!" Asked Cassidy.  
"Only when you're here! Can't have you running off!" Butch smirked.  
"Urgh. Creep!" Cassidy replied. "So what did your Mum say when you left?"

Butch's face fell.  
"She uh...started crying and said it was the final straw. She told me I was setting a bad example to Billy and Beth. Oh and my Dad would be ashamed of me!"  
"Ouch!" Muttered Cassidy.  
"Yeah... that one hurt. A lot." Butch said sadly. "I mean... she's probably right but I just... I didn't care anymore..."  
Cassidy could see he was getting visibly upset, she reached out and held onto his shaking hand.  
"I suspect you still did care deep down" she explained. "So how did you and your Mum leave things?"  
"She said her door would always be open but she couldn't support the choices I'd made" explained Butch. "We met up for a coffee once or twice in the early days but I wasn't allowed to see Billy or Beth. That killed me because by that point Beth was starting on her Pokemon journey... but then Mum stopped coming after we got taken to jail the first time".  
________________________________________

"Well I took a walk around the world to ease my troubled mind,  
I left my body lying somewhere in the sands of time,  
But I watched the world float to the dark side of the moon,  
I feel there's nothing I can do"

"Anyway! You can take over from here Cass!" Butch declared.  
"How so?" Cassidy asked confused.  
"Well...I've joined Team Rocket so you know the rest. What was your first perception of me?"  
"Oh! Well... I thought you were kinda cute. Not that I was going to let that show!" Cassidy said. "I dunno I got the impression you just wanted to throw yourself into your work rather than make friends. You seemed keen to just keep your head down you know?"

"Yeah that was my intention" Butch said darkly. "I was happy just to let you take charge to be honest".  
"People seemed to know you as the guy that got stroppy over people saying his name wrong". Cassidy reasoned.  
"Yeah don't remind me.." Butch muttered. The persistent name errors from well...everyone had gotten well and truly tiring over the years.  
"So why does it bother you so much?" Cassidy asked.  
Butch gazed out over the horizon again. By now it was late afternoon and the sky was starting to turn a golden red colour. The sun was reflecting in the ocean and the waves could be heard crashing against the side of the cliff. Butch gripped at the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white.

"It was the name my Dad chose for me" he finally whispered. "After Butch the Bulbasaur warrior - did you ever watch that show?!"  
Cassidy shook her head. "No..."  
"Eh well..." Butch shrugged. "But anyway it was his favourite show and when they found out they were expecting a boy, dad begged for me to be called Butch. So every time someone calls me by the wrong name even if accidently, it...it just feels like a part of his memory is being erased for me".  
"I never thought of that..." Cassidy admitted. She too was guilty of using the wrong name sometimes, mainly to wind him up on purpose!

"So yeah...your introverted, guarded partner at your service babes!" Butch smiled. Cassidy pondered for a moment.  
"Well I can re-call the exact day in which I noticed a change in you!" She said smugly. Butch raised an eyebrow.  
"Oh yeah?"  
Cassidy nodded. "Yup!"  
"Go on then..." Butch prompted her.

"The mic is all yours!"  
________________________________________

"In touch with the ground,  
I'm on the hunt, I'm after you,  
Smell like I sound, I'm lost in a crowd,  
And I'm hungry like the wolf!"

_We had been in the Hoenn region for nearly 6 weeks and Butch still hadn't caught a partner Pokemon for our missions. I had been lucky and managed to acquire a Sableye I had found but my partner was proving fussy! I was getting annoyed as we had important work to do and the Sableye couldn't battle by itself._

_One evening we stopped to set up camp just outside Rustboro City. It was a beautiful,_ _warm night and a bright full moon lit the skies above. I watched Butch as he lit a cigarette and kicked back besides the fire he had made. I couldn't help but smile, I got the impression he secretly preferred the outdoors life._

_All of a sudden we heard howling ring out_ _into the night. Wolves. And they were close by! Butch grinned and sprang to his feet, crushing out his cigarette._  
_"I'm gonna go check it out Cass!" He said. "Coming?!"_  
_"Nah I'll stay here" I said. "You go for it wild wolf man! Be careful though yeah?"_  
_"Yes Mum" he eye-rolled as he tore off through the hedges. I had never seen him so animated. He seemed genuinely excited. I_ _settled myself down beside the fire and started flicking through a magazine. The fire was warm and cosy and pretty soon I could feel myself drifting off to sleep..._

_I'm not sure how long I'd been asleep or indeed how long Butch had been gone but I suddenly found myself being woken up by a wet nose in my face and a pair of big brown eyes staring deep into mine. I jumped and leapt up with a squeal into Butch's arms._  
_"Heh! Sorry Cass, he just wants to stay hello!" Butch said._  
_"You CAUGHT one of them?!" I exclaimed. My partner nodded._  
_"Yep! He's a Pokemon believe it or not... meet Mightyena! I'd heard they gather in this area around full moon and I said to myself I'd capture one if I found them. He's a dark type, pretty cool huh?"_

_"Uh yeah! He's certainly friendly" I replied_ _hesitantly as I reached out to stroke Mightyena. The Pokemon gave a low bark and bounded back over to his new trainer, clearly delighted at having been chosen by him._  
_"I've always wanted a dog type Pokemon Cass, he's so cool isn't he? Bet he's super strong too!"_  
________________________________________

"Ah I remember that day!" Butch smiled.  
"I noticed a change in you then..." Cassidy explained. "You became well... passionate, like a spark had finally been ignited! Whereas before it was as if the lights were on but no-one was home".  
"Oh thanks!" Butch laughed. "Interesting analogy there babes!"  
The sun was continuing to set over the horizon and the partners could just about make out the last of the ships sailing out of the port to faraway regions. Thinking about the many journeys and adventures she and Butch had shared together and realising just how much they had come through made Cassidy shiver a little. Butch looked across at her.

"Cold babes? Here..." he peeled off his jacket and gently chucked it across to her. Cassidy took it and laid it across her chest taking in the smell of smoke and colongue - the smell of Butch.  
"Mightyena really is a great Pokemon though" Cassidy admitted. "He's a true partner to you, better than me!"  
"Oh I wouldn't go that far!" Butch winked. He grabbed hold of Cassidy's hand and gently kissed it.

"So... you've got Team Rocket and you've got your Pokemon. Is that where the story ends?" Asked Cassidy. Butch thought for a moment and slowly shook his head.  
"No I don't think so Cass... there's 1 more bit isn't there? The most important bit of all. I realise now by telling my story today, that actually although it started out bad, it's just got better over the years"  
"Care to finish off then?" Cassidy asked her partner.

"We'll finish it off together" Butch replied.  
________________________________________

"I never ride solo  
It’s me and my chick looking like slow mo,  
And we only roll through guns blazin'  
So you don’t wanna roll with either me or my lady

Time after time  
They try and prove me wrong,  
But nobody knows the way she saves me"

_I can't pinpoint exactly when it changed between me and Cass. Capturing Mightyena was just the start. I felt like I could actually achieve things, and instead of feeling part of a team, well... I felt like I was part of a family again. I could feel myself opening up to her, not fully though. I could never tell her my full story, hence why I'm telling it now. But I guess I was just more 'real' around her. I was able to show emotions and as time went on I developed this desire to impress her, protect her. My whole sense of purpose just seemed to focus on her._

_I felt for the first time I actually had a human being for a partner. Sure we had our rows and things went wrong often but Butch always had and still has the ability to make me laugh. We started hanging out in the weekend, the beach, the mall, sightseeing. Anywhere and everywhere. We had each others backs when no-one else did. I just couldn't imagine my life without him and he seemed to feel the same way..._

_So it was someone's birthday_ _party, no idea whose... I just went along for the free bar as I always did._  
_Cassidy was wearing a blue cocktail style dress and her hair in a high bun. She looked so flawless and elegant, but she was having fun that night so was laughing and dancing. She was just enjoying life and everyone knew it. I realised in that moment I was in love with her..._

_I was having such a good night! I'm always the first one on the dance floor and I felt confident in my outfit, hair etc. I remember Butch watching me from the bar, I stretched out my arms and beckoned him to join me, but he kept refusing!_

_I hated dancing, she knew that! She'd never get me on that floor..._

_But I kept persisting... told him I'd come and get him if I had to..._

_I knew I wasn't going to get out of this... I downed my drink and skulked reluctantly toward her. A popular 80's ballard came on and Cassidy started dancing and forcing me to join in. I felt so self conscious at first but eventually I just thought "fuck it" and joined properly. It was so much fun and most importantly it felt right._

_But then a slower love song came on... it was a little awkward at first but this time Butch took the lead with a new found sense of confidence and we continued dancing. I placed my head on his chest and his hands slipped down to my waist. It almost felt as_ _though the others in the room weren't even there, just the 2 of us, the most natural thing in the world._

_Except I couldn't stand it any longer... as the song finally finished I whispered her name. She looked up at me with a smile and I quickly leant forward and kissed her. In that moment the whole world seemed to slow down and we both knew in that moment it was all about to change forever..._  
________________________________________

It was now pitch black outside the car and the only lights to be seen were from the town far beneath the cliff. Butch leant back in his seat and turned his gaze once more to his partner.  
"So there you go Cass..." he said. "My 40 years from start to finish, the good and the bad".  
"Thank you Butch" Cassidy smiled sincerely. "I feel like I've learnt so much about you tonight... only thing I will say is that, please don't feel like your life isn't worth celebrating. Sure you had your low points like any of us, but surely these last couple of years must count for something?  
"No you're right" admitted Butch. "And yeah they have counted for a lot really... being with you has made up for quote a lot of the past. Maybe it is worth a drink or 2?"  
"If you like! I know you're not a massive party animal and that's unlikely to change now" laughed Cassidy.

Butch put on his seatbelt and started the car engine once more.   
"Did you want to text and ask if anyone wants to join us?" He asked.  
"Already on it!" Cassidy replied as she tapped away furiously. Butch carefully reversed out of the space and pulled off down the hill back towards headquarters.  
"So what you drinking tonight then Cass?" He smiled across at her. Cassidy shook her head.  
"I'm not drinking" she said. "I uh... am taking anti-biotics"  
"Eh? You never said!" Said Butch as he frowned across at her. "What's up?!"  
"Oh just a chest infection... you know how it is..." Cassidy replied.  
"Wait... you haven't got Corona virus have you?????!!"  
"No you idiot! Don't worry I'm not taking the attention away from you on your birthday! Now, foot to the floor! We have some celebrations to start!"

Butch continued driving and Cassidy sighed with contentment as they sped along the darkened road.

It wasn't anti-biotics.

It wasn't a chest infection.

It was about to be a 40th Butch would never forget!

The end!


End file.
